puzzle
puzzle Lexical Profile
puzzle Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A game, toy, or problem designed to test ingenuity, logic, or knowledge.
"She spent the entire rainy afternoon putting together a thousand-piece puzzle."
A person, thing, or situation that is difficult to understand or explain.
"The precise motive for the historical crime remains a puzzle to modern historians."
• verb
To cause someone to feel confused because they cannot understand or make sense of something.
"The sudden and severe drop in temperature puzzles local meteorologists."
To think hard about a difficult problem or situation in order to understand or solve it.
"He puzzled over the encrypted letter for hours before finally breaking the code."
• Rhymes for puzzle
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Late 16th century: of unknown origin; perhaps derived from the obsolete verb 'pose' (meaning to perplex) combined with a frequentative suffix.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.